All of my stories are original works by me. While I have taken inspiration from other works of fiction, I alone came up with the ideas. As seems to be happening a lot lately, official Star Wars media contains events very similar to events in my stories. This is purely coincidental, at least on my part. I came up with these ideas before the official works were published. Please do not use any elements of my stories without my permission!
This is the sequel to my previous story, Star War: The Civil Wars! After the cliffhanger of the previous story, I knew fans would want closure, so here it is! Please note that I've only been planning this story for a few months, so it won't be my best work. Also, the chapters will be shorter than before. Maybe later I'll rewrite it after I've given it more thought. For now, enjoy!
Star Wars: The Civil Wars
The Liberation of Coruscant
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
The rebels' final strike! During the Battle of Endor, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker freed his father from the Dark Side and destroyed the evil Emperor Palpatine. Since then, the Alliance to Restore the Republic has gained support while the Galactic Empire slowly dwindles. Several key star systems have either been freed by the rebels, or are in danger of becoming freed.
Now, only one Imperial planet remains secure: Coruscant, the immense city-planet located in the Galactic Core. Led by Luke Skywalker and his friends, the rebels gather their full strength for an invasion of this planet. Once Coruscant is liberated, and the Imperial Palace taken, the Empire will fall and the Jedi Order will be restored. Tensions run high as the final battle of the Galactic Civil War begins….
Chapter 1 – The Rebel Briefing
The Alliance Fleet was gathered in deep space. It consisted of a variety of dozens of large ships, including CR90 Corellian corvettes, EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigates, GR-75 medium transports, and Mon Calamari battleships. These were complemented by hundreds of X-Wing, Y-Wing, A-Wing, B-Wing, and Z-95 Headhunter starfighters. The rebels had been gathering most of their full strength, which had not happened since the Battle of Endor the previous year. But this was an important occasion; it was time for the Liberation of Coruscant.
The flagship of the rebel fleet was Home One, a Mon Calamari battlecruiser that was approximately 1,300 meters long and boasted 36 each of turbolaser cannons and heavy ion cannons. Like all ships built by the Mon Calamari, Home One had a long, cylindrical hull with several bubble-shaped sections on the surface. It carried multiple weaker deflector shield generators that allowed faster shield regeneration and more protection in case some of the generators were destroyed.
Commander Luke Skywalker entered the atrium-like briefing room aboard Home One. The Alliance leaders were about to prepare the rebels for the upcoming battle. Hundreds of rebels were already seated on the round benches. They wore different uniforms according to their tasks. There were pilots in orange jumpsuits, vanguards wearing black vests and white helmets, commandos in their camouflage coats, officers dressed in tan-and-blue uniforms, and mechanics in tan jumpsuits. There were even rebels wearing grey Imperial uniforms and stormtrooper armor. These marked them as Imperial deserters who had defected to the Alliance.
In his five years with the Rebellion, Luke had gotten to know most of the people who were present in the briefing room. He saw General Han Solo and Commander Leia Organa, who recently was discovered to have been Luke's twin sister. Han and Leia had fallen in love following the Battle of Hoth; Chewbacca, Han's loyal Wookiee companion; General Lando Calrissian, an old friend of Han's and a gambler who joined the Rebellion after Darth Vader besieged his colony of Cloud City on Bespin; C-3PO and R2-D2, the two droids who had served with Luke during many dangerous missions; Commander Wedge Antilles, who had flown as Luke's wingman during the attack on the first Death Star; and Commander Don Dain, one of the Rebellion's most skilled strategists and loyal fighters.
Luke noticed that most of the people he knew were pretty much the same as when he first met them. If anyone had changed over the years, it was Luke himself. Five years ago, he had been a teenage farm boy on Tatooine who dreamed of exploring the galaxy finding adventure. Now, he was the galaxy's only Jedi Knight, a guardian of peace and justice in the galaxy. The Jedi had been peacekeepers in the old Republic, but were wiped out when Emperor Palpatine rose to power. Palpatine even seduced Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker, to the Dark Side of the Force, turning him into the Sith Lord Darth Vader. But, during the Battle of Endor, Luke redeemed his father, who died to destroy the Emperor. Once the Empire was destroyed, Luke planned to rebuild the Jedi Order, starting by searching for Force-sensitive beings. Then he would have to train them in the ways of the Jedi.
Two chimes sounded, indicating that the briefing was about to begin. Mon Mothma, the leader of the Rebel Alliance, stepped up to the large holoprojector in the center of the room. A middle-aged woman with red hair, Mothma had served as the senator of Chandrilia in the Republic. After the rise of the Empire, she became one of the Alliance's co-founders.
She began the briefing with, "Over the past year, we have claimed victory after victory over the Empire. Following the second Death Star's destruction and the death of the Emperor during the battle of Endor, citizens all across the galaxy have celebrated their freedom. We have gained so much support that we have finally begun to overpower the Empire. Most Imperial-controlled planets have now been freed, and many more are close to freedom. But there is still one planet that must be taken before we can declare our ultimate victory: Coruscant."
The lights dimmed and Mothma activated the holoprojector. A large holographic representation of the planet Coruscant sprang up for all to see. Whereas most planets were colored green, blue, white, yellow, and so on, Coruscant was a dull metallic grey on its day side and black with yellow rings of light on its night side. This was the first time Luke had seen Coruscant in any form.
Mothma continued, "For those of you who do not know, Coruscant was the capitol planet of the Republic for thousands of years. The planet itself is an entire 5,000-level city with a population of approximately three trillion permanent and temporary residents. When the Empire was created, Coruscant became known as Imperial City. It is protected by a large Imperial fleet and legions of stormtroopers.
"When news of the Emperor's death reached the ears of the Coruscanti, the people began to rise up against the Imperial Army. There were riots in which stormtroopers and Imperial targets were attacked. For this, the people were punished. The planet is now under the control of Ysanne Isard, the Imperial Head of Intelligence. Also, the Imperial forces we drove from all the other planets have gathered on Coruscant. If we take the planet, the entire Empire will fall, and the New Republic will be born.
"Our mission will be difficult. We must sneak past the Imperial fleet protecting the planet and gather any rebel sympathizers on the planet before we can attack. But we must also consider our main target: the Imperial Palace." Mothma paused as she switched the hologram over to a large, round, dark-colored building consisting of what appeared to be hundreds of towers that progressively got taller near the center of the building. "This is the largest known building in the galaxy; three kilometers tall and twenty kilometers in diameter. Not only did it serve as the residence of the Emperor, but it is the center of all Imperial activity. If we fail to take the palace, this entire mission will be for nothing."
All of the rebels murmured nervously amongst themselves. The personal residence of the Emperor himself! It was bound to be protected by the most advanced security systems and weapons. Whoever went in there may not come out. Mon Mothma gestured to another person. "Admiral Ackbar will explain everything."
Ackbar, an aquatic Mon Calamari in a white uniform stepped forward. His leathery skin was dark orange and he had webbed hands and feet, a large, round head, and bulbous yellow eyes. He spoke in a gravelly voice, "Thank you, Madam." He then addressed the other rebels. "With the advice of some of our commanders, I have created a plan that will best serve our needs. Recently, two Imperial star destroyer captains, along with some of their officers, defected to the Alliance. Our advance team will travel to Coruscant aboard these star destroyers and then land on the surface in Imperial shuttles. The ships' captains will cover for us so that the Empire will not suspect treachery.
"The advance team will divide into several groups, each landing in a separate shuttle. Most of the groups will be spread throughout the planet, rounding up whatever sympathizers they can and pinpointing important targets. The rest of the team will be sent to infiltrate the Imperial Palace. They are to capture the Imperial leaders and clear the building of all other enemies.
"Once everyone is in position, the Alliance fleet will arrive at Coruscant, and I will give the signal for all groups and ships to attack. While our goal is to take out as many Imperial targets as we can, our primary objective is to secure the Imperial Palace and take the Imperial leaders prisoner. We will need their support in creating a new government that will be beneficial for everyone. Is that clear?"
All of the rebels affirmed their understanding. Ackbar finished, "Excellent. You have already been assigned to your groups. The advance team members will report to their respective shuttles in four hours. Thank you." With that, the briefing was over, and the rebels dispersed. Most of them went to say farewells to some of their friends and loved ones. Luke intended to do the same. He approached Han, Leia, Chewbacca, Lando, and the droids.
Luke smiled and said, "Well, I suppose this is it. I'm sorry we couldn't all be on the same team. It's just that we need to spread out our best people so that all groups have an equal chance of success."
Han laughed and patted Luke on the shoulder. "I'm sorry you got the hard job, getting into that palace."
Luke replied, "I requested to be sent into the palace. The Emperor was strong with the Dark Side of the Force, as was my father. They will no doubt have set Force-traps to catch intruders. Only I will be able to sense and disable those traps."
"Yeah," agreed Han, "But why does Commander Dain have to go with you? I thought you hated that guy."
Leia said, "Han, no one hates him. Some people just don't trust him entirely. Dain is one of our best commanders. He's extremely loyal to the Rebellion, he hates the Empire, and he's a skilled strategist. I'm not worried about him."
"Neither am I," said Luke. "Besides, he doesn't treat me as coldly as he used to. He's come to respect many of my achievements, and I, in turn, have more respect towards him. He won't be any trouble."
Lando put in, "Hey, don't forget, I'm coming with you. I'll watch your back, Luke. And don't forget Artoo." R2-D2, the white-and-blue astromech droid, warbled excitedly. "That guy will have to go through us before he even thinks about hurting you."
Han and Chewbacca both laughed out loud. Han said, "When you say it like that, you don't sound at all dangerous. Maybe we should switch places. I'll take care of Luke and you go people hunting with Leia and Chewie." Han leaned into Lando's ear and added softly, "Plus, I don't know if I can stand to listen to Threepio for so long."
Hearing this, C-3PO, the gold-plated protocol droid, said, "I beg your pardon? May I remind you that it is part of my programming to communicate with living beings? That is why I have consented to accompany you on this mission. You will find my skills very helpful in gathering rebel sympathizers, especially since a large portion of Coruscant's population is alien. After all, I am fluent in over six million–"
"You're doing it again!" interrupted Han. "If I want you to talk, then I'll say so. Otherwise, please be quiet."
R2-D2 let out a series of beeps that sounded similar to laughter. C-3PO responded defensively, "I fail to see how that is amusing."
Leia scolded, "Han, Artoo, be nice."
Han wrapped his arm around Leia and responded, "Of course, your dearness."
Luke smiled. Everyone was acting normal, like nothing was happening. Of course, that wasn't true. The next day would decide the outcome of the Galactic Civil War. If the rebels triumphed, then the galaxy would be freed. But, if the Empire defeated them, there would likely be no escape.
"What do you think, Luke?" asked Leia.
"Hm?" Luke snapped out of his thoughts and answered, "Oh, I don't know what's going to happen to any of us. I'm just glad that we're all being optimistic about the mission. I'll just say this; the Force will be with us."
At the prearranged time, hundreds of the rebels flocked to Home One's massive hangers where dozens of Imperial Lambda-class tri-wing shuttles were waiting. Flight crew members loaded cargo containers into transports and directed the rebels to their designated shuttles. When Luke, Lando, and R2-D2 arrived at their shuttle, they saw that Don Dain, a peach-colored Gran with three eyes, was already at the base of the boarding ramp waiting for them. Upon seeing them, he gave what Luke had learned to be an attempted smile. "Ah, I'm glad you could make it. We're going to need all the help we can get on this mission."
Luke nodded respectfully. "That's why they chose us, Commander Dain. I'm confident that we shouldn't run into any major difficulties along the way."
"So am I, Commander Skywalker. So am I."
Pretty soon, the rest of the group arrived and boarded the shuttle. Once Luke, Lando, and Dain had taken a head count, they signaled the pilot to take off. In a few minutes, the shuttle rose off of the floor and flew out of the hanger. As the ship wove through the flock of ships surrounding Home One, Luke took note of the size of the fleet. Ever since the victory on Endor, more and more volunteers and ships had joined the Rebellion. Now their forces surpassed those of the Empire. The New Republic would be born strong.
In addition to volunteers, several Imperial officers and stormtroopers defected to the Rebellion after the Battle of Endor. It was surprising how many of them had been waiting for the Emperor to die. Most of them were pressed into service against their will. Two of the most recent defectors were captains of two Imperial star destroyers, which were renamed the Emancipator and the Liberator. The immense ships were commanded by the captains and manned by other officers and pilots.
The procession of shuttles split up and landed in the star destroyers. Once everyone was aboard, the captains gave the order for the ships to jump into hyperspace. They were on their way to Coruscant.
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